[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14564]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        MEMORIAL DAY IN BAGHDAD

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks).
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, Memorial Day last week in 
Baghdad will always be special to me. On that day, I met with General 
David Petraeus, Iraq's Defense Minister Jasim, and U.S. and Iraqi 
troops in a Joint Security Station deep in the City of Baghdad.
  Then CODEL Spratt spent 2 days in Kabul briefed by ISAF Commander Dan 
McNeil, Major General Robert Durbin, Afghan Defense Minister Wardak, 
President Hamid Karzai, and Brigadier General Robert Livingston. 
General Livingston commands the 218th Brigade of the South Carolina 
Army National Guard, which leads Task Force Phoenix to train the Afghan 
army and police.
  I saw firsthand our coalition forces stopping terrorists overseas to 
protect American families at home. This meets the threat of al Qaeda's 
Zawahiri that Iraq and Afghanistan are the central front in the global 
war on terrorism. Our capable military leaders should not have their 
initiatives handcuffed by Congress.
  As we heard a bombing in Baghdad, we read simultaneously of attacks 
in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Lebanon and Gaza. We must not ignore the 
worldwide threats.
  Congratulations to law enforcement for stopping the bombing of JFK 
Airport.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget 
September 11.

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